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Financial economics, as the title of the discipline suggests, is an embedded field within mainstream economic sciences. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that quite a few Nobel Laureates in economics are finance professors who have done pioneering work in financial economics.

Closely linked with economics and finance, mainstream accounting research is derived from economics and financial economics. While there are a few strong delineators between finance, economics and accounting, the three fields intermingle and influence one another which is why it is difficult to have a strong grasp of one without at least a basic understanding of the other two.

Yet, accounting has never been considered part of mainstream economic sciences which is why no accounting researcher has won the Nobel Prize. Not to be outdone, the accounting profession has created a list of 100 most influential individuals, thought leaders, and visionaries who are responsible for shaping the accounting profession.

Requirements For Top 100

Gaining entry into the coveted top 100 Most Influential Person in Accounting is a daunting task. The Accounting Today complied the Top 100 list using the following criteria.

Innovator and creator. The individual must have created new ways to market the accounting/auditing professional services.

Educator. The individual must have taught the profession something the profession didn’t know already.

Regulator. The individual must have been involved in enforcing rules which had a game changing influence on the profession.

Elevator. Individuals who help achieve the ideals of the profession, or and those who are actively planning the future of the profession, are deemed the most influential of all.

What is the gender composition? Among the top 100 most influential accounting professionals, 70% are males and the remaining 30% are females.

Top 5

The top 100 most influential accounting professionals then voted to pick the Top 5 thinkers within the profession. The Superstars in Accounting are:

Barry Melancon: President and CEO of AICPA

Tom Hood: CEO and Executive Director of MACPA

Mary Jo White: Chair, SEC

Russell Golden: Chairman of FASB

Ron Baker: Founder of VeraSage Institute

MIA

Surprisingly, no academic made it to the Top 100 list. Although academics meet the threshold requirement as an educator, presumably, Accounting Today does not consider academics to be influential enough to teach something to the profession that the profession didn’t know already. Academics are merely disseminating accounting/auditing knowledge that is already codified by the profession so academics are not deemed as innovators in the field.